


Container Unit #003

by tattoosanta



Series: Alternate Universes [17]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Loss of Control, Pre-Canon, Robot AU, Science Experiments, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 09:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11310114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattoosanta/pseuds/tattoosanta
Summary: The Kirijo Group's Ergonomic Research facility has finally found a way to contain the essence of death; they would put it within one of the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons. The true question wasn't whether the android could hold it or not, it was whether he could withstand the pain.





	Container Unit #003

**Author's Note:**

> Hi have more of my self-indulgent AUs that like maybe one person cares about :D

“...Its systems are fully operational now. It should be gaining consciousness soon.” A fairly rugged, tired-looking researcher yawned as he checked the vital signs of the unit in the chair before him. “No abnormalities.” 

“Release its safeties, then.” His partner, a stern-looking young woman, wrote something down on her clipboard. “If everything goes well, it should be fully conscious and able to speak to us.” 

Both researchers sat in wait for the unit to open his eyes. He was the third of a new generation of Anti-Shadow Suppression weapons, but he was fitted with an extra container, just in case. It was important that he work properly, because the Ergonomic Research Lab had poured too much into his development to risk a defect.

The man ended up sighing when the unit opened his eyes and looked around. “Alright, let’s go see if it knows what’s going on.” 

The woman nodded and walked into the maintenance chamber. “Good morning. Do you know where you are?” 

The android looked over to her and narrowed his crystalline blue eyes. His voice and face recognition software had indicated this woman was one of the researchers of the facility, and that she had a partner. He couldn’t see that partner. 

He stayed silent for another moment and nodded slowly. “Yes, I know where I am.” He had just gained consciousness, and yet he felt something… strange. This was not part of his initial programming. 

The female researcher looked over to her partner on the other side of the glass and shook her head. “...Good. You are Unit #003. Please repeat that back to me.” 

“Unit #003.” He repeated the words exactly as ordered, but again… something sounded off. It wasn’t the way he pronounced the words, per se… More… the inflection. Was there a bug in his language setting? 

The woman sighed and looked down at her clipboard. “At least it’s functional…” That was better than nothing. Even if he did sound like someone who hadn’t felt emotion in years. “...Please stand up. We are going to begin some testing.” 

The robot nodded slowly and stood up. They were going to begin tests… but for what? What kind of tests were they going to be doing? He felt some sort of twinge in his chest as he followed the now silent researcher down hallway after hallway. 

Finally, they ended up at a chamber at the end of a dimly lit hall, and the woman motioned for him to go inside. “This first test will be a pain threshold test. If you need to tap out, there should be a button by the arm of the chair, and you can press that.” 

He nodded and sat down in the chair as the woman strapped him in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another human approaching the room with a clipboard. His facial recognition systems told him it was this woman’s partner, and that he was going to be part of this test as well. Perhaps he was just observing. 

The woman smiled coldly and turned to leave the room. “Ready to start the simulation?” 

“Yeah.” The man beside her nodded and turned the chair on. “Unit #003, we are going to start the pain tolerance simulation. Please remain as still as you can.”

“Understood.” He nodded and closed his eyes as… something happened. He had no idea what had turned on, but he couldn’t feel anything. It wasn’t until the dial had been turned to a higher setting did he start to feel any pain. 

“Turn it up higher.” The female researcher instructed her partner with a frown. “I want to see when it becomes unbearable. If it can’t handle a simulation, there is no way it’ll be able to handle the real thing.” 

“...Right.” He nodded and turned the dial up further. He looked up for any sort of reaction, and bit his lip when he saw the android’s eyes squeezed shut and his mouth open in what he had to guess was a cry of pain. 

The woman smiled, pleased with this result and turned the chair off. “Wonderful. That was much better than I had been expecting from such a new model. This test is over.” 

She walked into the chamber and undid the straps, then helped the android up. “Good work today. You’re free to go back to your room.” 

The android nodded and made his way back to the chamber that had been labeled as “his”. He didn’t know why, but he felt his artificial heart beat at a rate that was unnatural. It was like he was out of breath, though he he had no such need. “Hmm…” He decided to ignore it for the time being and wait until the next round of tests came by. 

The testing lasted for weeks, with each different test becoming more and more taxing than the last. There were multiple times that he felt as though he would fall apart, but after each test he was taken back to the maintenance chamber and fixed right back up for the tests the next day.

When the testing was finally over, the stern looking female researcher and her male partner came into the chamber. The woman adjusted her glasses and looked over to him, a small smile on her face. He couldn’t detect any joy in that smile, though. How odd. 

“Unit #003, the testing is now over.” She flipped through her clipboard and looked over at him. “We have come to the conclusion that you are the most capable for the task, and have elected to select you as the model for this generation.” 

“...What does that mean?” He looked to her, something akin to confusion on his face. “What is the task you’re presenting to me?” 

The woman smiled again and looked up at him. “Unit #003, you will be tasked with the containment of the spirit of death, as well as the extermination of Shadows and protection of humans.” She paused and looked him over. “From this day forth, you will be known as the 6th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon and Container Minato.” 

He blinked. He had… a name? There was no longer just a number assigned to him, but a real name… It took a while to process it, but eventually he nodded. That would probably explain the empty cavity in his chest beside the artificial heart. 

The woman took his silence as a good thing and turned to her partner. “Did you bring it with you?” 

“Of course I did, it’s not like I would leave it unsupervised.” The man sneered at his partner and shook his head. “It’s right here and ready for its new container.” He gently put a hand over the huge steel box beside him. “So whenever you’re ready for the transfer process.” 

The woman nodded and pulled some thick gloves on. “I’m going to be shutting off your consciousness in order to make this transfer. We can’t risk your ego rejecting this.” She flicked off a switch, then turned to her partner. “Hand the spirit to me.” 

The man bit his lip and carefully lifted the orb that contained a black, swirling substance within it. He walked slowly and handed it over to the woman, then watched nervously as she began to fit it into the cavity within Minato’s chest. It fit like a glove. 

“Perfect.” She pulled her gloves off and went to turn Minato’s consciousness back on. “Now we wait to see how his ego handles the sudden intrusion…” 

It took a moment for Minato to wake up again, but when he did… he realized he was in an intense amount of pain. “What…” He clenched his teeth and glared over at the researchers. “What… did you do to me..?!” 

“...Shit!” The man turned quickly to turn off Minato’s consciousness again, but by the time he’d reached the lever, it was too late. The cables that had been holding their test subject down had been ripped off, as well as the cables that connected him to the maintenance chair. 

Minato had stood up, his eyes glazed over with pain, and he glared hard at the two humans standing dumbly before him. “Ugh… it hurts…!” He couldn’t see or think straight, his head throbbed, and he was overcome with the urge to destroy everything and anything that got in his way. Anything to get out of that damn lab! 

He reached to the container beside the woman and grabbed his multi-weapon, looked up at the terrified humans before him, and hissed. “You will know my pain…!”

Before either of the researchers had time to react, they had been shot multiple times in the abdomen. The man only had time to call for backup before his life was cut short and Minato was out of the room. 

The PA system suddenly began to blare throughout the laboratory as Minato ran toward the front door. “The 6th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon has gone berserk! We cannot allow it to leave this laboratory; it must be stopped!” 

Minato narrowed his eyes and looked around. “I have to leave…” He had to get away from this horrid place… No matter how many people died. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of many footsteps approaching from behind. They were going to try to apprehend him. There was going to be more to suffer through. These people didn’t care what pain they put their robots through, as long as they got results. They were just objects with artificial hearts to them… 

Minato came skidding to a stop just before the door and turned around, his sword at his side and his hand raised. He was ready to put up a fight, even if it was a moot point. “I won’t let you.” 

“Dammit, why did they fit this one with ranged weapons?!” The leader of the group, a man in a black suit and a pistol cursed at nothing in particular. Perhaps the people who had built him… “Put your weapons down and come with us!” 

“I won’t let you treat me like a toy!” Minato’s voice came out shaky from the pain and he began to shoot at nothing in particular. If he hit people, so be it. He no longer cared.

“Its deactivated all its safeties!” One of the young men behind the man in black shouted. “It’s going to kill all of us unless we retreat and think of a better plan!” 

The first man turned back to his subordinate and glared down at him. “And let this thing go out and kill people! It has thrusters, and there are boats on the docks it could take to the mainland! We have to apprehe--” 

His sentence was cut off as bullets riddled his body. The man fell to the ground, a shocked expression on his now lifeless face. The others all looked at each other for a second too long, as they were all shot down as well. 

Minato stood there, still tense and ready to attack whoever came around. He only lowered his arm when he realized the whole laboratory was dead silent… The only thing he could hear was the strained whirring of his systems. 

He turned around and left the laboratory. Once he was past that gate, he was free… He made it as far as the edge of the forest by the beach before his legs gave out on him, and his systems began to shut down. 

He had made it away from the people who had tortured him for the sake of their “research”, but who knew what lay ahead.


End file.
